The last time I was in New Orleans, I was a grouchy 14 year old, finding the city to be upsetting in its pandering to tourists (it was Jazz Festival time) and in its inability to nourish vegetarians.

1. Where do I eat??2. What do I do for fun? Where's the best live music to be found, especially for jazz and zydeco? Where are the spots that for you, as residents or tourists, feel like the essence of your experience of NOLA?What are the touristy things that I must do? Is a swamp tour worth it?Do you have a trusty psychic? And 3. What pantry items should I collect? What sort of flora/climate/culturally specific products are worthwhile investments or gifts (i.e. tinctures involving local plants?

Also! My travel partner, a native of Germany who is traveling outside Europe for the first time, would like her understanding of voodoo to be revised. That is, she'd like to experience voodoo beyond how it is portrayed through films. Any thoughts on how we may do this in a politically correct way?

I was well-fed while there, but the food was not up to par in any of the restaurants I went to from the above lists. I did walk around the French Quarter a lot, and there were quite a few restaurants that offered a vegan option. I didn't go into 13 Monaghan because it was a dark bar on a sunny afternoon, but it might be to your taste. My best bet was stocking up at the Whole Foods there - it was a really nice one.

I can't remember the name, but there was a veg-friendly restaurant in the middle of the Farmers Market in the French Quarter and they made my husband a very nice vegan lunch, special order, when he asked. Others we tried:

Cafe Abyssinia, ethiopian: I got a sampler that was fairly bland, but filling.

Lebanon's - really, really terrible overall, and after a long discussion with the waitress about what was vegan, my order came out with a big scoop of dairy yogurt in the middle; she suggested I just scrape it off.

Surrey's: the scramber my husband got was dripping in oil; my sandwich was good, but nothing I couldn't have made better.

_________________Formerly Kaleicious. I still love kale, but no more than lots of other garden greens too! Orach is currently my favorite.

If I was going to be there in May I would probably attempt to eat my weight in snoballs.

You might think that it just looks like a snow cone in a takeout container but you're wrong. It is magical and tastes like rainbows and the joyful tears of a unicorn. Most snoball stands have 50 or so flavors to choose from. My personal favorite is half cotton candy/half ice cream, which tastes like neither cotton candy or ice cream but is wonderful. There are snoball stands all over the city but I recommend Plum Street Snoballs. You can purchase an actual bucket of snoball there.

Disclaimer: I have a tattoo of a half cotton candy/half ice cream snoball. I'm a little biased.